American political parties indeed perform several important activities that are vital to American democracy. They act as a bridge between the government and the people. They protect national unity by resolving conflicting interest into harmony. Public discussion is stimulated and channeled by political parties. They are responsible for finding candidates for voters and also voters for candidates, thus helping to run elections. Political parties handle much of the tedious daily work of democracy.

However the party system has been criticized for having unwieldy and outdated machinery. The inability of parties to prevent the decline in people, who cast the vote, is another shortcoming. Parties should also help to make politicians live up to the promises in the party platform on the basis of which they were elected. Thus they could play a more effective role in the modern challenging era.

Index

9.0 - Introduction
9.1 - The Functions Of Political Parties
9.2 - The Development Of Political Parties
9.3 - Third Parties In American Politics
9.4 - The Structure Of Political Parties
9.5 - The Strength And Weaknesses Of Political Parties

Chapter 10